The box is the typical masterpiece quality. I used to have some hang-ups about these big boxes, but they are what they are. The packaging really adds to the feel of Masterpiece, and the toy really lives up to that title.

Included in the box are one red Beta Fighter and accessories, certificate of authenticity, instructions, and sticker sheet.

The box features the character Annie LaBelle prominently. Annie acts as moral support for the group of freedom fighters but participates in little combat. I haven't watched either Mospeada or Robotech recently, but I don't remember Annie ever donning a flight suit and piloting a beta fighter.

Either way, the toy is very very cool.

First thing you notice is how heavy the toy is. The Beta fighter weighs about 2 pounds, most of that due to the heavy diecast lower legs. The Beta comes ready to play right out of the box.

The Beta fighter, despite its size, is surprisingly poseable. The knees and legs go click when they move and while the shoulders don't, they are nice and firm.

The head is new to this model and is seen for the first time with this release. We never got to see what the heads of the red and green beta fighter looked like in the show, so all new heads were designed for this release. Each head is designed to mimic the look of its corresponding alpha fighter. In this case, the head retains the square eye and large fin on the back.

It is worth noting that there is very visible touch-up paint on this head from the factory.

Transformation to fighter mode is simple and intuitive. Once in fighter mode, you can attach diecast metal landing gear to the front and rear. The front gear actually attaches to the connecting rod that connects the beta to the alpha.

The cockpit opens and you can place the pilot figure inside.

Like chocolate and peanut butter, the alpha and the beta are made to go together. I've had my red alpha for years, and it has seen better days, but when the two of them are together they look like they were made to go together from the start.

The Beta fighter features two connecting rods. One is for fighter mode, the other for the alpha in robot mode.

In Fighter mode, the end of the rod cups the underside of the alpha creating a nice, tight connection.

In Robot mode, the toy uses a different rod to connect the two together. In this mode the nosecone and crotch fit into a special groove on the connector, making for another fantastic fit.

In either mode, the whole toy can be suspended by the included display stand. The stand has a bit of spring to it, meaning that if you move the whole fighter and stand assembly, the thing will wobble back and forth for a bit.

Like the prior release, It's amazing. If you have a red alpha, you need to get one of these.

Comments

Side by side is one thing, but it looks kind of clunky when conjoined with the Alpha. And it's expensive, although I don't exactly have the fifteen hundred or so for the occasional Gakken prototype. I have mixed feelings about this "toy," which I'm not sure can be overcome by nostalgia. To each his own.

One thing I do admire is the packaging. I really dig the updated, photo shopped renditions of these characters. Very nicely done. Who is responsible for these? It's the modern day equivalent to the vintage oil painted robot box art of yore.

Yeah, that Beta is a bit on the pricey side but I think that Toynami is supposed to eventually release a regular edition Beta that will be mostly plastic and cost less than the Masterpiece. If that does happen I might just have to pick one up along with an Alpha to go along with it.

I don't really get where you're coming from. You compare this to the old Gakken/lansay prototype, calling it "clunky", yet that prototype was far more clunky and included a funky Legioss that did little more than attach to the Tled in plane mode in an odd way. It also was in a much smaller scale.

http://www.toyarchive.com/Macross/LansayBlueTredsFighter1.html

I'd call the CM's clunky, but that's not the toy being reviewed.

As for the art, none of the old boxes had characters, and this oddly doesn't have any mecha. So I'm not sure what old box art you are referring to.

Man these Beta's just look amazing and solid too. Unfortunately when placed next to a Alpha it just makes the the Alpha's look even worse. Granted the Alpha is a much more complex design but it looks like two different companies made these things, which I assume is partially true since I'm guessing Aoshima had a hand in creating these.